


Fools

by giantpanda



Series: What if... [10]
Category: The Good Doctor (TV 2017)
Genre: Canon Rewrite, F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-29
Updated: 2020-08-29
Packaged: 2021-03-06 22:08:02
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 6,798
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26176210
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/giantpanda/pseuds/giantpanda
Summary: What if there was no earthquake?  Inspired by the song Fools by Lauren Aquilina.
Relationships: Claire Browne/Neil Melendez
Series: What if... [10]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1799092
Comments: 36
Kudos: 57





	1. Chapter One

_Those hardest to love need it most  
I watched our bodies turn to ghosts  
Such good friends, it has to end it always does  
That's the way life is  
Do we take that risk?_

It had been almost a month since Claire had realized that she was in love with Neil. As she had said the words aloud to her therapist, she had felt relief to finally admit to it. She had been ignoring it for so long, but once she said it, she could no longer pretend. She had been seeing her therapist more often after work to talk about what she should do with her feelings. She thought Claire needed to talk to Neil, while Claire felt that she should continue with their platonic friendship.

She knew she wasn’t dealing with her feelings in a healthy manner, but she was scared. Neil was the first person in a long time that she cared about, and she was terrified of hurting him. He had been there for her and supported her and the fear of losing that was overwhelming. She ignored her therapist’s advice that their relationship could be even better if she took the risk.

Instead, they continued with things exactly how they had been. They would work together, discuss patients after hours, go for runs and occasionally meet for dinner. Both pretended that he had never told her that she made him a better surgeon and person. It felt like nothing changed between them, and she was grateful that her feelings hadn’t impacted their friendship.

She sighed as she looked down at the stack of folders next to her computer. She had a busy day working with Dr. Andrews and had some more charts to go through before heading home. She glanced over to Neil’s office and was surprised to see that his light was still on. She hadn’t seen him much as Shaun and Alex had been working with him. She wanted to talk to him but wanted to finish her work first.

After going through a couple folders, she heard the door open to the lounge. Looking up she couldn’t help the smile on her face when she realized it was Neil.

“You’re here late,” he said walking over to the table.

“Just trying to get all of these files updated.”

“No plans with Dash tonight?” he asked, an unreadable expression on his face.

She glanced down at her computer. She had ended things with Dash shortly after she had shared with her therapist that she was in love with Neil. She hadn’t shared that with Neil yet. She hadn’t intentionally been lying to him, it just hadn’t come up between them.

“No,” she said, “That didn’t work out.”

“What happened? Are you okay?”

“I’m fine. He wasn’t the right guy.”

She looked up to meet his eyes. She wished that he would say something, that maybe he would be the one to make a move, that maybe he would realize that he was the right guy.

“I’m sorry,” he said. 

“You should be,” she said. “If you hadn’t told me to kiss him, I wouldn’t have known he wasn’t the right guy.”

He laughed. “That bad?”

“No sparks.”

She looked down to her computer. She allowed herself a moment to think about what it would be like to kiss him. She had no doubt that it would be much different. She could feel him looking at her as she finished her work.

“Are you almost done?” he asked.

“I need about five more minutes,” she answered. “Why?”

“Would you like to go to dinner?”

“Italian?” she asked. “I need lots of pasta after today.”

“Whatever you want,” he said with a smile. “Come get me when you’re done.”

She watched him as he walked back to his office. She sighed. She loved their friendship, but she wondered sometimes if maybe her therapist was right, and she needed to take the risk. For now, she was content to continue as things were. She went back to her files to finish so they could head to dinner.


	2. Chapter Two

_And so it all boils down to this  
We've got our aim but we might miss  
We are too fragile just to guess  
And I've been in this place before  
Fine as we are but we want more  
That's human nature at its best_

Neil went back to his desk as he waited for Claire to finish up her files. It had been almost a month since he had come to terms with the fact that he was in love with her. He had never intended to fall for her. He had simply wanted to be there for her and support her as she dealt with her grief. However, as he spent more time with her and their friendship grew, his feelings changed.

He realized that his feelings for her weren’t entirely platonic when Dash had shown up at the hospital. He had pushed aside his own feelings in order to do what she needed to be happy. He had refrained from asking her much about her relationship because even if he hated to admit it, he was jealous. She hadn’t been staying as late lately, and he had assumed that it was because she had plans with Dash. Now he wondered if she was seeing someone else.

Her words about Dash being the wrong guy brought back his advice for her not to wait for the right time if was the right guy. He wanted to be the right guy for her, but with the circumstances at work, the time would always be wrong. Not only was he her boss, but also, he had no idea if she felt the same way that he did. After the favoritism complaint, they had been careful with their relationship outside of work, but the other residents and attendings knew that they still went for runs together. He didn’t think they were aware of the dinners and late-night conversations they had.

He tried to tell himself that he was fine with maintaining their friendship. But it was getting harder to believe that. He found himself thinking about what they could be if he admitted his feelings for her. He pushed the thoughts away. Being friends had to be enough. He wasn’t going to push Claire into something that she didn’t want.

He looked up as she entered his office.

“I’m all done.”

“Great,” he said standing and grabbing his things.

They walked out of his office together and headed towards the parking lot. Neil enjoyed the peace that come with just having her close to him. He resisted the urge to reach out and take her hand. They settled on where they wanted to get dinner. Neil knew he was being risky continuing to let the boundaries blur between them, he knew that it was likely that he would slip up eventually and let her know how his feelings were more than just friendship. But as he watched the smile on her face, he knew it was worth it.


	3. Chapter Three

_What if we ruin it all, and we love like fools?  
And all we have we lose?  
And I don't want you to go but I want you so  
So tell me what we choose_

It was getting harder for Claire to pretend that she didn’t want more from her relationship with Neil. They had been spending even more time together since she had told him that she was no longer seeing Dash. She didn’t want to read too much into it, but part of her wished that he had feelings for her as well. They had gone out to dinner, gone on a few runs and even met for breakfast before shift. Claire hated getting up earlier than she had to, but for Neil it was worth it.

With Morgan still out healing from her surgery on her hands, they were short staffed causing all the residents to work longer hours. She was looking forward to a day off but knew that wouldn’t happen for a while. Thankfully, she was working with Neil today, which was both a blessing and curse. They worked well together, but being in such proximity to him, made it even more difficult to mask her feelings. She worried that one of these days she was either going to say something to him or give into her desire to kiss him. 

She was in the lounge looking over the case file of their patient. They had run tests earlier. As she read over the file, she frowned. Their patient was an eighty-five-year-old woman who based on the test results needed lifesaving surgery.

She looked up as Neil walked in. He come over and held out his hand for the file. He read over the results.

“Damn,” he said softly. “I was hoping she wouldn’t need the procedure.”

“Me too,” she agreed. “At her age, there are going to be risks.”

“If she’ll even want us to do it.”

Claire sighed. She knew it was a possibility that Ms. Smith wouldn’t want to go through with the surgery, however, after talking with her earlier she hoped she would. 

“Don’t,” Neil said.

“What?”

“Don’t get attached,” he said. “I can see you already thinking of ways to convince her to go through with it.”

“I won’t. I just want to tell her all the reasons why she should do it.”

He laughed. “Like I said convince her to go through with it.”

“You can fix what’s wrong, so she’s not in pain.”

He shook his head. “We can fix it.”

She smiled as they left the lounge to go talk to their patient. She loved when Neil expressed his confidence in her abilities. They continued discussing the test results as they made their way to the room.

“Good morning, Ms. Smith,” Neil said as they walked in the room. “How are you feeling?”

“I told you to please call me Daisy,” she answered, struggling to catch her breath. “I’ve been better.”

Claire went over to listen to her heart as Neil asked her some questions. He explained what the test results showed and what they would need to do to fix it. He discussed the potential risks of the procedure and told her that she could take some time to think about it. With a glance at Claire, he left them alone in the room.

Claire took her hand, “Do you have any questions?”

“Not yet,” Daisy said squeezing her hand. “I’d rather talk to you about that husband of yours. He’s very handsome.”

She frowned, “Husband?”

“Dr. Melendez.”

She let go of Daisy’s hand. “We’re not married. He’s my boss.”

Daisy coughed and struggled to catch her breath. “He might be your boss, but I have eyes, sweetie. You both care about each other very much.”

Claire wasn’t sure how to respond. This was only the second time the two of them had been in the room with her together. What had she seen that made her think that they were together? She wasn’t sure what to say. She couldn’t argue with her and she couldn’t admit her feelings.

“Even if that were true,” Claire started, “It would be inappropriate.”

“Don’t get hung up on all the rules. You can’t help who you fall in love with. Don’t wait too long to tell him how you feel, or you’ll end up alone like me,” she coughed again.

Claire took her hand. “You’re not alone.”

“Such a sweet girl,” Daisy said. “Please at least think about telling him.”

“Okay,” she agreed, unsure if she could do it.

“And tell him I don’t want the surgery.”

“Are you sure?” she asked with a sigh.

“I’ve lived a long life. I’m ready to be with my family and friends.”

Claire thought about trying to convince her otherwise, but knew she needed to respect her wishes.

“I’ll come back and sit with you once I talk to Dr. Melendez.”

“You don’t have to.”

Claire stayed a few more minutes to make sure that she was comfortable before leaving to find Neil. She wondered what he would say if she told him that Daisy had thought they were married. She pushed the thought away. Focusing instead on what they could do to help her with her suffering. 

She knocked on Neil’s door waiting for him to let tell her to come in. 

He sighed, “She doesn’t want the surgery.”

“How’d you know?”

“I can see it in your eyes.”

She walked over and sank into the chair in front of his desk. “I understand why she doesn’t want us to do it, but…”

“It’s hard when you know we could fix what’s wrong,” he finished.

She nodded. “Can I ask you a favor?”

He leaned back in his chair. “Depends on what it is.”

“My shift is almost over; would it be okay if I went and sat with her?”

“Are you sure that’s a good idea?”

“I don’t want her to be alone,” she said softly.

She could tell that he was worried about her getting too attached to another patient, but she also knew that he would agree to let her do it.

“Okay. If I need you for another patient before shift is over, I’ll page you.”

“Thanks,” she said with a smile. He shook his head as she stood up. “What?” she asked.

“I didn’t say anything,” he said grinning at her.

“What’s that look for?”

“Just thinking about how much you say you hate being known as a soft touch.”

Rolling her eyes, she said, “What is it you said, we are what we are.”

“So, you’re agreeing with me?”

“Maybe this time.” She turned to leave.

“Claire,” he called after her, “Page me if you need me.”

“Thanks,” she said.

As she walked back to Daisy’s room, she thought about her earlier conversation with her and how she thought there was something between her and Neil. Maybe Claire did need to stop being afraid and to tell him what she was thinking and feeling. The thought still terrified her, but maybe it was worth it. When she entered the room, she could see that Daisy’s condition had deteriorated even in the short time that she had left to talk to Neil.

“Did you tell him?” Daisy asked as Claire moved a chair over beside her bed to sit with her.

“He understands why you didn’t want the surgery.”

“That’s not what I was asking.”

Claire sighed. “No, I didn’t say anything.”

Daisy struggled to catch her breath. “What are you afraid of?”

“Are you sure you want to talk about this?”

“Let a dying lady live vicarious through your young love. I loved someone once and I never told him. He married another woman and I never loved anyone else.” She coughed. “Now what are you afraid of?”

Claire hesitated, wondering how much she should share with her patient. But it seemed that it might give her some comfort to have a distraction.

“I’m afraid of hurting him.”

“Why?”

“I don’t have the best track record with men. Dr. Melendez is my best friend and I don’t want to lose that.”

“Why can’t he be your best friend and your partner?”

“I don’t know if he wants that.”

Daisy laughed. “Honey, do you really not see the way that he looks at you?”

Claire could sometimes feel his eyes on her when he didn’t realize she was paying attention. She had felt the power of his gaze many times. But she had never thought too much about it. Neil was an incredible man, and she didn’t think she deserved him.

“Dr. Browne, you need to tell him how you feel. I think you’ll be pleasantly surprised by what he says.”

“He would still be my boss.”

“An inconvenience but not something you can’t work around.” She took a shaky breath as her eyes drifted closed. “You don’t have to stay here with me.”

She gently squeezed her hand. “I want to.”

“I’m sure there is something else you’d rather be doing, like Dr. Melendez.”

Claire couldn’t help but laugh. “What if it doesn’t work out?”

“But what if it does?”

“I love him,” Claire admitted softly. “I don’t know how to tell him.”

“Sometimes,” she took another shaky breath, “You need to take a leap of faith and hope that he’ll be there to catch you. I think he would be there gladly.”

“Thank you.”

Claire sat there thinking about what Daisy had said, as Daisy struggled to keep her eyes open.


	4. Chapter Four

_Friends, I watched us as we changed  
The feelings in my headspace rearranged  
I want you more than I've wanted anyone  
Isn't that dangerous?_

Neil watched as Claire walked out of his office to go sit beside Daisy. He thought about going after her so she wouldn’t have to sit there alone but had a few more things to do before the end of their shift. He wasn’t at all surprised that Claire wanted to be by her side. She had the biggest heart of anyone he had ever met before.

He sighed. It was getting harder for him to pretend that his feelings for her were simply platonic. He found himself thinking more and more about what would happen if he took the chance and told her how he felt. It would be difficult with work, but with some changes he was sure that they could figure it out. The worst part would be the gossip and how others would perceive Claire. He didn’t want anyone to accuse her of using him to get head of the others. Although, he also felt that those who knew her, would never think that.

While he wasn’t completely sure that she felt the same way as he did, he did know that she cared about him as well. He could feel her eyes on him sometimes. He was thinking that he needed to say something to her soon before he lost his chance. Pushing the thoughts away for now he finished up on his work and then went to check on his patients. Even though Claire would be with Daisy he still would stop by her room as well. 

After checking on the other patients on the floor, he came to Daisy’s room. He saw Claire sitting by her bedside, her back to the door. He raised his hand to knock on the door but hesitated when heard them talking.

“Dr. Browne, you need to tell him how you feel. I think you’ll be pleasantly surprised by what he says.”

Neil froze. He knew he should turn away and not listen to their conversation, but he also wanted to know who she was talking about.

“He would still be my boss.”

He couldn’t help but smile when he realized that she was talking about him. All his doubts about what to do vanished as he realized that she felt the same way that he did.

“An inconvenience but not something you can’t work around.” Daisy’s voice was shaky. “You don’t have to stay here with me.”

“I want to.”

“I’m sure there is something else you’d rather be doing, like Dr. Melendez.”

He heard Claire laugh, before asking, “What if it doesn’t work out?”

“But what if it does?”

“I love him,” he heard Claire say softly. “I don’t know how to tell him.”

He felt his heart skip a beat at her words. He knew now that they would be having a talk tonight about everything they had been dancing around for months.

“Sometimes,” Daisy took another shaky breath, “You need to take a leap of faith and hope that he’ll be there to catch you. I think he would be there gladly.”

“Thank you.”

Neil waited a few minutes before knocking on the door. He didn’t want them to realize that they had overheard their conversation. He wanted to be able to talk to Claire on his own. He thought of Daisy’s words and he knew without a doubt he would always be there to catch Claire just as he knew she would do the same for him. When enough time passed, he knocked on the door.

Claire turned and gave him a small smile. He walked in and pulled up a chair to sit on the other side of her. Daisy looked between them both.

“I am lucky to have two doctors by my side.”

“How are you feeling?” Neil asked softly.

“Tired.”

“It’s okay to rest,” Claire whispered.

“Remember what I said.”

Claire’s eyes darted to his before answering, “I will.”

Daisy’s eyes fluttered shut. They each took her hand and sat with her, watching the numbers drop on the monitors.

“You don’t have to stay,” Claire said.

He saw the sadness in her eyes. “I want to.”

“Maybe you’re the soft touch.”

“If I am, I learned from you.”

A quiet settled over them as they sat beside Daisy. After a few minutes her heart gave out, and the alarms started blaring, she had a DNR preventing them from taking action. Claire stood and turned them off as Neil called her time of death. Neil wanted to reach out and give Claire a hug, but he knew with them being at work, he couldn’t.

They both walked quietly back to his office.

“Are you okay?” he asked.

She nodded. “She was sweet. I’m glad she wasn’t alone.”

“Me too.” He hesitated before asking, “Would you like to go get a drink to honor her?”

“I’d like that.”

They finished up their shift and then decided which bar to go to. As Neil drove to meet her, he was nervous and excited. He felt like this would be the night where everything changed.


	5. Chapter Five

_The anticipation before the kiss  
Mirrored in my shaking lips  
Oh God I feel so unprepared  
The two of us so out of place  
My feelings written on my face  
Got what I want but now I'm scared_

Claire walked through the bar to find Neil already at a table with drinks for them both. She smiled as she took a sip of her drink as she settled across from him. She loved that he knew exactly what she would want to drink after a rough day at work. She knew that it was time for her to tell him about her feelings, but she was scared. She hated the thought that she might mess up their friendship. She thought of Daisy’s words and wondered if maybe she had been right.

“Are you okay?” Neil asked, his concern clear on his face.

She nodded. “It was a difficult day, but I’m glad she wasn’t alone.”

“Me too,” he said taking a drink. “Your patients are lucky to have you.”

“You stayed too.”

He sighed. “That was more for you.”

“I don’t believe that.” She took a deep breath to get herself ready to start this conversation. “She told me that she regretted not sharing her feelings with someone when she was younger.”

“Wait,” he said stopping her. “I need to tell you something first.”

“Okay,” she frowned, wondering if he was stopping her because he didn’t want her to admit how she felt.

“I heard part of your conversation before I came in.”

She looked down at her drink as she tried not to worry about what exactly he heard her say. She tried to remember what they were talking about before he came in.

“I love you too,” he said softly.

She glanced up quickly to look at him. She couldn’t stop the smile on her face. She realized that Daisy had been right. She reached out and gave into her desire to touch him, letting her hand rest against his. He intertwined their fingers.

Neil caressed her hand and she lost herself in the feeling of his hand on hers. She had fought this for so long, that she wasn’t sure what to say next.

She took a shaky breath, “I’ve felt this way for a while.”

He squeezed her hand. “Me too.”

“What about work?”

“I don’t know,” he admitted. “But I’m tired of pretending that we’re just friends. What do you want?”

She felt the familiar fear building. She didn’t want to ruin this or hurt him. But she needed to push through her anxieties and allow them both a chance to be happy.

“I want you,” she said softly.

“You have me.”

She rolled her eyes, “You’re such a sap.”

“Which you love.”

“I love you, I’ll get used to the sappiness.”

He smiled at her as they both finished their drinks. 

“Do you think we can wait to share with work?” she asked. “I want us to have some time to ourselves.”

“I think that would work for now,” he agreed.

It wasn’t that she wanted to keep their relationship a secret, but she wanted them to be able to adjust to the change without the interference of their coworkers.

She told him she would go get them another drink. She squeezed his hand before letting go. She had thought about the possibility of what would happen if she had admitted her feelings to him and had never thought it would ever happen. She took a few deep breaths as she made her way to the bar. As she waited for their drinks, she turned to look over at him and found him watching her. She smiled at him.

Once she got their drinks, she went back to the table and instead of moving to where she stood before, she moved so that her arm brushed against his. Without saying anything she placed his drink beside him. He glanced down at his drink and then back up to her.

“Thank you.”

“You’re welcome,” she said, feeling nervous. They had gotten drinks together plenty of times before, but this was different. Neither had to pretend that they were just friends.

He wrapped his arm around her waist pulling her closer to him. She rested her head against his shoulder and leaned against him. She was used to being close to him in the OR, but she felt like she was surrounded by him. His fingers started to caress her back, causing her shirt to rise. She felt his gentle touch against her back and shivered.

“Is this okay?” he whispered.

She nodded against him, enjoying the feeling of being by his side. She wrapped her arm around his back drawing them even closer. He pressed a kiss to the top of her head, and she smiled. They stayed that way for a while, sipping their drinks and enjoying being with each other.

She thought back to just a few hours ago when she had been talking to Daisy about taking a risk. While technically, she hadn’t been the one to take the first step, she was glad that he had. She thought of all the times they had gone out together, all the times she had to stop herself from reaching out for him. Now it seemed that neither one wanted to move away from the other. Their carefully crafted boundaries were completely erased.

Once she finished her drink, she turned towards him and wrapped her other arm around him. His hand inched higher up her back.

“What are your thoughts about leaving here?” she asked.

He leaned closer to her and said, “Are you coming with me?”

She gave into her desire and leaned forward and kissed him. His hand pressed against her back bringing her closer to him. Breathless, they pulled away from each other.

He rested his head against hers, “Better than Dash?” he asked with a smirk.

She smacked her hand against his shoulder. “I don’t know. Maybe you should try again.”

He tickled her side in retaliation of her teasing. She squirmed away from him with a laugh. Smiling at her, he kissed her again.

Pulling away, she said, “I think we should go.”

He nodded. “My place is closer.”

“Okay,” she agreed.

He kept his arm around her waist as they left the bar. She felt flutters of anticipation as they walked towards their cars. Neil walked her to hers. He pressed her against the side of the car kissing her again. She pushed him away after a few minutes.

“I’ll see you soon.”

“Be careful,” he said before heading to his car.

She got in and took a few breathes before putting her seatbelt on before starting the car and following Neil to his house. She reflected on the change in their relationship and her happiness.

He arrived at his house first and was waiting for her as she parked her car. He opened her door and took her hand to help her from her seat. She leaned forward and kissed him, her fingers twisting in his hair. He smiled against her mouth. They laughed as they tried to walk inside without letting go of each other. As they crossed the threshold, she knew that they were taking a leap of faith together, and she couldn’t wait.


	6. Chapter Six

_What if we ruin it all, and we love like fools?  
And all we have we lose?  
And I don't want you to go but I want you so  
So tell me what  
Tell me what we choose  
What we choose  
What we choose_

Neil woke up with Claire curled against him, the blanket covering them both. He had thought more than he wanted to admit about what it would be like if they ever gave into their feelings. He had to admit that it was better than he ever could have imagined. The connection that they always shared transferred over to the bedroom seamlessly.

He brought his hand up and gently caressed her back. He smiled as she groaned against him snuggling closer to him. He knew it was going to be hard to ever sleep without her again. She pressed a kiss against his chest.

“The alarm didn’t go off yet,” she mumbled. “Let me sleep.”

He continued to run his hand against her skin, allowing his fingers to get tangled in her curls. He didn’t want to stop touching her. He had ignored his feelings for so long, he wanted to tell her repeatedly how much she meant to him. While he understood her desire to keep this change among themselves for now, he worried that anyone of their coworkers would realize it as soon as they walked into the hospital. He didn’t want to hide any longer, but he would follow her lead on how to handle it at work. He should probably request either Alex or Shaun for the next few days. She shivered against him and he reached down to pull the blanket up higher. She moved slightly so she could look at him.

She sighed, “How are you so awake already?”

He shrugged. “I’ve always gotten up early.”

She made a face. “Of course, I’d fall in love with a morning person.”

Neil laughed, loving how easily it came now for her to share what she was feeling. “I had no idea you were so grouchy in the morning.”

“I’m not grouchy,” she insisted. “I’m tired.”

“Same thing.”

She brought her hand up and started to gently trace over the lines of his tattoo. As her fingers touched the spot against his neck, she said, “This drove me crazy when we started our residency.”

“Why?” he asked glancing down at her.

“I could only see this part,” she traced over the part of the antler on his neck. “And I couldn’t figure out what it could be.”

“What did you think it was?”

“A tree or a vine,” she looked up at him with a smile. “It was very distracting.” Her fingers danced across his skin as she continued, “With the way you keep your shirt unbuttoned or in your scrubs.”

“I didn’t realize that you were looking.”

“Of course, I was looking. Everyone in the hospital looks.”

He rolled his eyes. “If you say so.”

She settled back against him. “Shaun even accused me of flirting with you.”

“What?” he asked surprised. “When?”

“Early on in our residency. He asked me some questions about flirting, and then said I was doing all the things I told him about.”

“Were you?”

“Not consciously.”

“I would’ve noticed.”

“You were engaged at the time.”

“Maybe, but I still noticed you.”

She started to say something but was interrupted by the alarm going off on her phone. With a groan, she stretched over him to turn it off.

“I should go so I can get ready for work.”

He wrapped his arms around her to bring her close again and kissed her. He knew that she wanted to go home before shift to shower and change, but he wasn’t ready for her to go yet.

“Or we can call out and stay home.”

“Have you ever taken a day off?” she asked

“Have you?”

She kissed him again as they lost themselves in each other. After a few minutes she reluctantly pulled away.

“I don’t want to be late.”

He thought of teasing her that as her boss he wouldn’t care if she was late, but he knew that neither one of them would ever abuse their roles at the hospital. He watched her as she climbed out of bed and started to get dressed.

“Next time you’ll need to pack a change of clothes.”

Her smile lit up her face. “Absolutely.”

He pulled on a pair of pajama pants as she finished getting dressed. “I have to admit that I prefer last night when you were taking the clothes off.”

She came up to him and wrapped her arms around his waist. “Maybe you can do that again later.”

He leaned forward and captured her lips in another kiss. It amazed him how easy it was for them. Just yesterday he was still denying himself this pleasure. He never would be able to go back to the way it was before. It took a while as they kept touching and kissing each other, but eventually Claire left to go home to get ready for work. His house seemed too quiet without her.

He took his time getting ready for work. He showered and ate breakfast. On a normal morning he would’ve gone for a run but was content with the exercise he had last night with Claire. He had been happy with their friendship before but knew with this change that they would be even happier.

They had lots of practice pretending that they didn’t have feelings for each other, so he wasn’t too worried about work. As he entered the hospital, he hoped that he would see Claire before the others got there. While they would never express their love for each other at the hospital, he still wanted to see her. She had only left his house a few hours ago and he already missed her.

He frowned as he walked towards the lounge and saw that all the residents were already settled at the table. Instead of going in, he decided to go to his office. Sitting at his desk, he had a perfect view of the lounge. He started to answer some emails before the start of rounds, but found his eyes kept drifting to Claire.

It was harder than he thought it would be to not go over and kiss her, now that he knew what it felt like to have her in his arms. Instead, of acting on what he truly wanted, he pulled out his phone and sent her a message asking her what she was doing that night. He watched her as she pulled out her phone and started typing.

The response came quickly, “I was thinking of catching up on my sleep. I didn’t get much last night.”

He bit his lip, to keep from smiling. He risked a glance over at her, and saw she was already working again, her phone resting beside her computer.

“I’m sorry you didn’t sleep well. I hope you can tonight,” he typed back. He hesitated before adding, “There’s room in my bed if you’d like.”

“That sounds much better than my empty bed. Are you sure I’ll be able to sleep?”

“Eventually,” he responded.

He watched as she fought back a smile before replying. “Get back to work, Dr. Melendez. These patients aren’t going to heal themselves.” There was a pause before her next message. “I’m looking forward to tonight.”

“Me too.”

He placed his phone beside his computer, ready to focus on work. He resisted the urge to call for her to come into his office, he would be able to see her later tonight. He wasn’t sure how he had been able to resist her for so long. It was risky what they were doing, but he had no doubt that it was worth it.


	7. Chapter Seven

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A brief glimpse into their future

_What if we ruin it all, and we love like fools?  
And all we have we lose?  
And I don't want you to go but I want you so  
So tell me what  
Tell me what  
Tell me what we choose_

They lasted two weeks before they talked to Audrey and HR about the change in their relationship. They both realized that this was something special and didn’t want to hide it. There were a few changes with her residency, such as he was no longer her boss, but neither one of them minded. It took the others a little longer to adjust. They had lots of practice pretending that they weren’t together, so they were able to maintain a professional relationship at work. 

They waited until after her residency was over to get married. Neither wanted a big wedding, so they went to the courthouse and celebrated with their friends afterwards. They thought they were happy before but knowing that they made the commitment to be together forever brought them even more happiness. 

They talked about starting a family a few months after they got married. They discussed their hopes and their fears and how no matter what they were looking forward to the journey with each other. Even though they were ready, they were still surprised by the positive pregnancy test a few months after they started trying.

They didn’t need to tell any of the others about her pregnancy, because Neil was unable to hide his happiness or his concern. Between the morning sickness that lasted all day and the exhaustion, Claire struggled the first few months. Neil had always been protective of Claire, but it became worse after she was pregnant. She tried not to be too annoyed with him, but some days it was challenging. Thankfully, the symptoms improved after the first trimester.

They had a beautiful daughter they named Daisy, after the patient who convinced them to admit their feelings. Both were instantly in love with her and showered her with love. She attended the daycare at the hospital and was adored by the staff as well. When Daisy was two, a one-year old boy named Nathan was abandoned at the hospital. To the surprise of no one, the only person who could calm him was Claire. Neil watched them together and thought about adding to their family. After talking to the hospital social worker, he asked Claire what she thought. After dealing with the paperwork and other bureaucracy, their family of three became four.

Five months after Nathan joined their family, they discovered that Claire was pregnant. She worried about having another child just as they had gotten into the routine with the other two. As always Neil worried about her. Everything went smoothly and they welcomed another little girl Elizabeth to their family. Both had thought they knew exhaustion from long hours at the hospital, but nothing prepared them for the exhaustion of having three kids under the age of four. Yet they wouldn’t change a thing.

They continued to grow together, supporting each other at home and at work. They still fought, still argued about what they thought was best, but in the end, they always ended up talking things over and figuring it out together.

They completed their family two years later with another boy Joshua. Neil still enjoyed being a surgeon, but his favorite part of the day was being home with their kids. He loved to watch Claire and their children. Just as she enjoyed watching him.

They sometimes looked back on the start of their relationship and the only regret either had, was that they waited so long to start their life together. Both were content with the life that they created together. Neil with the family he had long dreamed about, and Claire with the family she craved. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As always thank you so much for reading. I greatly appreciate it. I still have a few more ideas for them, but as the school year is starting back up again and we figure out how to teach our kids virtually, I'll have less time to write.


End file.
